When it comes to Hall Of Fame inductions, some things are a given.
Montana was enshrined as a 49er, Walter Payton as a Bear, and Favre
will be enshrined along with his # 4 Packers jersey.
Next comes
the on-the-fence group, where players have to select which teams
uniform to be enshrined with. Nick Buoniconti is a classic example.
Buoniconti played in five AFL All-Star games as a Patriot and was a fan
favorite. He also played in a few Pro Bowls as a Miami Dolphin, and a
few Super Bowls.
At his HOF induction he stated "I also want
to thank my Patriot teammates who were so great. We were a team that
went on the field and we played. And the AFL was a just great time in
our lives. No one had any money. Matter of fact, one time we took off
from Boston, stopped off in Buffalo, and picked up the Buffalo Bills on
the same plane because we were trying to save money." Then he added "But, the Patriots didn't like me enough. They decided they were going
to ship me off to Miami. Now, who the hell wants to play in Miami? It's
100 degrees, 100 percent humidity and you're not supposed to play
football - you're supposed to go to the beach. But, I got lucky."
Buoniconti
felt unwanted by the Patriots after they traded him, but never publicly
criticized the Boston organization for it. He eventually opted to enter
Canton's Hall Of Fame as a Miami Dolphin, after an illustrious career.
Then there's Deion
Sanders. The choice will be his alone as to whether he's inducted as
a member of the Falcon, 49ers, Cowboys, Redskins or Ravens. With a
personality that was made for "prime time", Sanders was arguably the
very best cornerback to ever play in the league, and a fan favorite on
every team where he donned a jersey. Fans in each of these cities can
only hope that Sanders embraces their franchise and shows his
appreciation as a representative of their team.
Which brings us to the far end of the spectrum.
I
read a small, paragraph long article on a player that is pondering life
after the NFL, when that day finally comes. That player is none other
than Terrell Owens. Owens was snubbed by the Pro Bowl voters in 2006
for... well, for being T.O.
..... ;;;;;;; ;;;;;;; Once upon a time - loved in San .... ... ........ . ...Francisco and hated in Dallas.
He has become a team player over
the last 2 seasons with Dallas, and the voters rewarded his model
citizen efforts by actually voting the gifted receiver into the 2007
Pro Bowl Class. Hating on T.O. had/has always come easy to so many NFL
fans.
... ... At least the honeymoon was sweet
A kinder, team friendly Terrell Owens has presented
himself in a favorable light entering his contract year? What gives?
The man that played his personal contract issues out in public air
throughout his career, says that's all behind him.
"For sure, I definitely want to end my career with the Dallas Cowboys,
and go into the Hall of Fame as a Dallas Cowboy," said Owens. He went
on to say "I'm going to let God fight that battle for me. There was a
situation where the contract didn't work out in Philly. With this, I'm
going to let it play out and not try to be a distraction."
.. .. ... ... ... ... T.O... Trying to not be a distraction
These remarks were all made promoting his upcoming Wednesday, March 14
appearance on the MyNetworkTV sitcom Under One Roof. He's been
contemplating acting in his life-after-football.
Maybe he'll be the first player in NFL history not associated with any team's jersey, as he was caught here between his stints in Philly and Dallas
I'm
not debating whether or not he's got the HOF stats and numbers, that's
not the direction I'm going. Rather - I can only see one angle here.
Could he be the first HOF inductee to have a mass protest staged in
front of the Hall Of Fame over choosing ANY city?
I'd like
some opinions of Owen's place in NFL history as it pertains to the Hall
Of Fame. I'm sure the mud, dirt and rotten tomatoes will come flying.
And that's just my point. If we go with the assumption that he puts up the numbers he
has in the past, for a couple of more years, he's likely to get that
induction. What team/city will embrace him?
Personally... My fondest
memory of T.O. was the hit George Teague put on him for attempting to
dance on the Star at Texas Stadium.
As everyone should be aware by now, the NFL 2008 season schedule is up and posted on NFL.com. Here's a look at the strength of schedule analysis based on opponents 2007 win/loss records. The Pittsburgh Steelers - who face the challenge of overcoming the toughest schedule in the NFL - will face each team in the AFC South and the NFC East, arguably the two toughest divisions in the league that total 8 teams without a losing record in 2007. Only 4 of the Steelers 16 games are against sub-.500 teams, that being the division games against the Ravens and the Bengals.
The 18 and Uh-Oh Patriots receive the NFL version of a cake walk, playing only 5 games against teams that finished 2007 with a .500 or better record. Looking at the Patriots schedule it's very possible to finish the season 14-2 with home field advantage throughout the playoffs, again.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE, BASED ON OPPONENTS 2007 RECORDS
The internet fodder linking the troubled Adam Jones & the Dallas Cowboys refuses to die. In fact the story is growing legs and gaining credibility. Here in Dallas, the two local sports yakety-yack stations - 1310 The Ticket as well as 103.3 ESPN - are mentioning the ongoing talks involving Pacman, his agent, the Cowboys and the Titans.
... .
Ten days ago the rumor was squashed when Jerry Jones Jones stated publicly that There were no ongoing talks and reiterated that talks with another team's player who's under contract was a clear violation of league rules. Tennessee at that time had not granted permission.
... ... ... ... ... .. . ... ... ... ... ... ... .A suspended Adam Jones keepin' it real and mentoring N.Y. Knicks Zach ... ... ... ... ... .Randolph and Eddy Curry on the art of image management at the professional. ... ... ... ... ... .level. Obviously this tutoring has transpired to make the Knicks a more respected ... ... ... ... ... ... organization on and off the floor as well. Just have to wonder - Where's Isiah Thomas?
Fast forward to yesterday - Rototimes.com reports That not only have the Titans granted permission, but that all of the afore mentioned parties were actually involved. As the story goes, the Cowboys and Pacman have agreed to a contract figure. This now only leaves the issue of Tennessee and Dallas settling on a compensatory draft pick, rumored to be a 4th or 5th round pick.
... ... ... ... ... .. ... ... ... But wait... Isn't there still the sticky issue of whether or not Jones will ever be reinstated?
It was printed in The Tennessean back on March 8, that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he
has no plans to review Jones’ suspension again until closer to the
opening of training camps. You would have to assume Jerry Jones, given his status, MUST be getting some kind of nod or wink from Goodell to even proceed. Else why would Dallas make necessary adjustments to the roster and allocate Salary Cap numbers for a player that is currently banished from the league?
Throw in the fact that Manny Arora, Adam Jones' agent, is persistently pleading to Goodell to reach a decision sooner regarding the troubled cornerback. Pacman's stock is trading just a hair above Enron's now, and by mid-July it will be worth far less.
... ... ..Forgive me if my keyboard shorts out. It's all these tears I cry for poor ol' PacMan... An actual copy of the Pacman Jones Ad that he purchased April 20th, 2007 in The Tennessean. Pardon me if I believe his actions speak much louder and clearer than his printed words.
I've yet to address the issue of Adam Jones' countless assaults on society. He's not a cancer to a team as much as he's been a cancer and clearly dangerous threat to society in general. I don't want him and his entourage anywhere near Dallas County and near my family.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Advertisement for one of Adam Jones' many "Make it rain" ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... episodes - most of which take place in strip joints - which ... ... ... ... ... ... ... have led to numerous brawls, shootings and serious injurues
Love or hate the Cowboys, you can't help but be aware of the strides that the organization has made in the last 10 years concerning criminal character issues. Personally the risk is tremendous and the statement it makes is that increasing the Cowboy's chances of winning a Championship outweighs the risks. I would personally be very disappointed if this rumor grew to fruition.
I hail from a large family where after school we went in 7 different directions, to either play or coach in every sport available. As a child I got in free to the Cowboy games at the Cotton Bowl as a tag-along to my Dad's credentials. It was the ultimate childhood dream scenario to play football there, under the lights with the kids of other players and personnel after the games. I have been a Cowboys fan since those days in the 60's and like Willie Nelson says "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys". I've witnessed a few Stars Stanley Cup games and I have been a Mavericks fan since day one. Hopefully, in the future, G.W. Bush will re-take control of the Texas Rangers and they will once again become competitive.
games as a Patriot and was a fan
favorite. He also played in a few Pro Bowls as a Miami Dolphin, and a
few Super Bowls. 
